Ultimate Takeout

By Naperville Magazine
May 2025 View more Table for Two

By Phil Vettel

Chef June’s Dumplings offers homemade goodness

There’s a strip mall in Westmont—I’ve driven by it hundreds of times but haven’t stopped in since my dry cleaner went out of business—that has the usual assortment of goods and services: a national sandwich chain, a bagel franchise, a pizzeria, a laundromat, a few medical offices, a tax-preparing service. And a Chinese restaurant that’s an absolute hidden gem. You’d do well to find it.

It’s called Chef June’s Dumplings, although the restaurant itself isn’t sure how to spell it. The sign over the door is “Chef June’s Dumplings,” the carryout menu calls it “Chef Junes Dumplings,” the website is chefjunedumplings.com, while the check dubs the place “Chef June’s Dumplings & Noodles.”

So it’s a little confusing. But there’s nothing head-scratching about the food, which is uniformly terrific and a bargain to boot (everything on the menu is less than $15).

By now you’re wondering who June might be. Her name is Li Jun Zheng—she’s the chef and owner, and most people in the business call her “Junie.” Her résumé is very impressive: She worked at four-star Sixteen in Chicago (tackling multiple stations, from prep work to desserts) for years, until the COVID crisis closed the restaurant down. Zheng later put in some time at Lao Sze Chuan in Downers Grove while making plans to strike out on her own. “It was hard,” she says. “Hard to find people to hire, hard to find furniture. The first tables in the dining room I had to make myself.”

There are new, butcher-block tables in the bright dining room now, which could seat 30 or so people but is rarely that crowded—due to, I suspect, the lack of a liquor license and the ease of carryout ordering (which I did on both visits).

There’s a lot of choices on the menu, which lists more than 50 items. “I could make 100 more,” Zheng says, “but I just make the best of my food.”

If you’re feeling indecisive, keep in mind that “Chef June’s Dumplings & Noodles” is both a name and an ordering guide. Zheng hand-cuts her noodles and hand-makes her dumplings (“like mom makes,” she says), and any dumpling or noodle dish on the menu is likely to make you very happy.

Dumplings impress with their delicate texture and delicious fillings. I’m in love with the dumplings filled with an umami-rich blend of ground pork, mushrooms, and napa cabbage. The Triple Delight dumplings are similarly satisfying, a flavor-packed mix of shrimp, pork, and chives.

The chicken (or pork) mini juicy buns (another restaurant would call them soup dumplings) virtually explode with flavor, and because there are eight to the portion, it’s a fine dish to share.

Noodle dishes, by contrast, are notable for their firm texture and satisfying chew. Room-temperature dishes include the spicy-but-not-overwhelming Dan Dan noodles, and the more lightly-spiced Szechuan cold noodles.

For more hearty fare, choose the brothy Szechuan beef soup noodles, rich with braised beef or beef shank meat (or both), and the Da-Lu noodles, presented in a rich brown gravy with a choice of proteins (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp) or vegetables.

One of my favorite dishes is the least expensive. The pork belly gua bao is a soft, steamed bun stuffed with glazed pork belly, cilantro, and chopped peanuts (a beef version also is available) and is only $3.95. But, frankly, you’ll want more than one.

I’d also order the scallion pancake, a pan-fried pancake (bing) of wheat dough and green onions; crispy on the outside and soothingly soft inside, it’s a great little nibble (and, again, large enough to share).

A handful of battered and stir-fried dishes are available; they’re the sort of thing that the less adventurous diner will like (orange chicken, General Tso’s chicken), but the curry chicken has a decent level of spice, and the salt-and-pepper shrimp are well made.

I mentioned that Chef June’s has no liquor license, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the restaurant makes an excellent mango smoothie, among other fruit blends.

Photos: Jen Banowetz